How to Select a Vintage Gibson Mandolin

This guide is inteneded as a starting point in a search for a Gibson
A-model mandolin from the years 1907-1935. All of the information
within is as accurate as I can personally verify (ie don't bet the farm).
Most of this stuff will help you on the business side of the
equation only- sort of a "Consumer Reports" for old mandolins.
Hopefully, this will help you to determine to what extent the dealer
is trying to sell the instrument at a level above what it may
merit, and then you must use the market to help determine a price.

For the HTML literate, this page uses background color tags etc that currently
are part of the proposed HTML 3.0 spec (configured to work with the
Netscape navigator 1.b1 or later). Additionally, this page will stand on its own
for the time being- all links but the "return to Misc. page" are internal reference
links. This means that you can download it and have it work at home without
having to be connected to the net to have it work. Just don't make a profit from it
without giving me 87%!!

The Gibson Company went through several stages of model
design for their mandolins in the last 100 years. The early
prototype models were hand-built by Orville Gibson himself, and
are very thick and chunky looking. The basic "A" and "F" model
shapes were developed around the turn of the century, and have
become the basis for most serious imitators since. Regular
production began in the early years of the 1900's, and continued
unbroken until the WWII years, and again afterwards up to the
modern times. The most generally trustworthy vintage Gibsons
fall into the 1900-1930 years, when the instrument was popular
and many were produced.

The first good thing to check (before even the price!) is
the sound. Strum it, hit chords, open notes, etc. Tune it up, or
get the owner to tune it for you. If it doesn't sing, forget it-
there are enough of them out there that you will eventually find
one that you like. Get a general impression from the instrument
how "played in" it is... a nearly unplayed instrument will sound
somewhat quiet and muffled (not "Broken in"), where one that has
had a lot of service may ring loudly with little effort at all.
If it has the "unplayed" sound, it is harder to judge what it
will eventually sound like. Instruments can take anywhere from
1-10 years to really break in, depending on how often you play.
Sometimes instruments that haven't been played in a while are
"sleeping", it can take a month or so to "re-break" them. Mine
sat in the shop for 2 years after the first owner died, and it took
about 2 weeks of solid playing to get it to have a "wide open"
sound again.. The best thing you can possibly do is
try several different instruments.
You will build a strong knowledge of the variations through
experience. Remember, you are looking for an instrument that
will have a very strong influence on your enjoyment of playing
music!

If you've discovered a well broken-in instrument that you
like the sound of, you can move onto the next step-
model verification.
If the sound is "muffled" or unplayed, check out
the following section.

A vintage mandolin that hasn't really been played much or
broken in should be approached like a brand new instrument. The
sound will probably mellow over the years (if it isn't abused or
mistreated) into a sound that is similar to a broken-in model of
the same vintage. The important breakdowns are:

1900-1907 "Pan Back" style... somewhat "clunky" sound

1908-1920 Fixed bridge models

1921-1935 Adjustible bridge, other Loar-Hart innovations

Compare a "Broken in" Gibson from the same period (1900-1907;
1908-1920) for a fairly accurate estimate of how the instrument
will eventually sound. For the period of 1921 onward, try to get a
near exact analogue becuase there are so many differences.

Unplayed Mandolins Should Have All of the Following:

Nice, easy to use tuning pegs

No significant fret wear

No finger depressions on the finger board

Clean finish where it would have been scratched by the pick if
played

A case with little or no visible wear

Parts that correspond to the model year (see below - "Model
Verification")

All of the above are signs of use and wear- they are not really
bad in and of themselves, but they do indicate how much an
instrument has been played. If your eyes tell you a story that is not
compatible with the "mint condition" or "as new" description, be
wary.

The first thing to look at is the label. It should tell you
the year, model number, and serial number of the instrument.
Some were written in pen, some in pencil. Mine (1921) is nearly
illegible, but with a bright light and a lot of patience, I was
able to read all of the information from the inside. The serial
number (when compared to the ones in Gibson records) will tell
you within a few weeks when your instrument was made. Also, with
a dental mirror and flashlight, you should be able to see a
different factory number up on the block where the neck meets the
body inside the instrument.

The label will probably have yellowed somewhat with age, but
a nice new-looking piece of whitish-grey speckled paper with
crisp, clear writing does not neccessarily indicate a forgery.

You will want to make sure that the instrument you are looking
at is the model that it is advertized as, becuase those little model
numbers do a lot to the price of the instrument. The higher numbers
have more fancy decorative features in general, but do not necessarily
sound any better than "lower end" models. I personally would
be hard pressed to trade my A0 for an A4. So anyway, don't pay A4
prices for an A0!!

The information following is not official as
there are so many instruments that break the rules. However,
there are a few key identifiers:

A or F model

This one is easy. If it has a curlycue (bluegrass style) on the
bass side of the neck next to the fingerboard, it is an F model
mandolin. An A model mandolin is symmetrical, and teardrop
shaped.

Bridge

Prior to 1921, the only bridges made for Gibson mandolins (A or
F) were made from a single piece of wood, with no adjusting
screws. If the instrument has an adjustible bridge and a date
prior to 1921, it is most likely a replacement bridge. While the
bridge may even come from the Gibson factory, it still is not
original to the instrument.

Binding

The term "binding" refers to the white band that surrounds the
face, back, neck, or headstock of the mandolin. More binding =
high model number. The only completely unbound Gibson was the
Ajr model, a stripped-down (in decoration) version of the classic
A model. Prices should range relative to each other in this
fashion:

Ajr

A or A0

Brown or black finish, binding only on face and in
soundhole. One ring of purfling around the
soundhole. Pickguard that is pinned into the
fingerboard and bridge, clamped to the side of the
instrument. Pearl dots on fingerboard. Dark stained
maple (not the best "wavy" or "curly" cut) back and
sides. "The Gibson" stamped on tailpiece cover.
Shaped hardshell case.

A1

Similar to A0, but can be blonde or reddish color,
has some features (double purfling on soundhole) of
an A2. "The Gibson" stamped on tailpiece cover.
Shaped hardshell case.

A2

Brown, black, blonde, or red finish all possible.
Binding on front, back, soundhole, fingerboard;
"The Gibson" inlaid into the headstock, closer
grained (most of the time!) spruce top then a model
A0; pickguard that is pinned into the fingerboard,
bridge, and clamps to the sides of the instrument.
Double ring of purfling around the soundhole. Pearl
dots on the fingerboard. Dark stained maple back
sides (still not usually a "Wavy" or "curly" cut).
"The Gibson" stamped on tailpiece cover. Headpiece
veneered in black on the front. Black inlay along
the "keel" in the back of the neck. Shaped
hardshell case.

A3

Nearly identical to an A2, but usually a
refrigerator-White top (sometimes blonde); and a
fleur-de-lis in the headstock under "The Gibson".
Bound on top, back, sides, around the fingerboard.
These are somewhat rare. Wood quality improving
(tighter grain, more "nice looking" features).
Mahogany sides and back. Shaped and bound
fingerboard extension (the little teeny frets that
extend over the soundhole). "The Gibson" hand-
etched into the tailpiece cover (though sometimes
stamped). Headstock veneered in black front back.
Black inlay along the "keel" in the back of the
neck. Shaped hardshell case with quilted felt cover
for laying over the face of the instrument.

A4

The top of the line. Red sunburst finish (red in
the middle fading to black or brown at the sides),
fleur-de-lis under "The Gibson"; (sometimes)
decorated tuner buttons (a dotted "+" in each
button). Thick white ring between the double
purfling around the soundhole. Can have "Snakehead
peghead" (see below). Shaped fingerboard extension.
Black veneered headstock, front back. Black
inlay along the "keel" in the back of the neck.
Lots of polish in the finish. Shaped hardshell
case with quilted felt cover for laying over the
face of the instrument.

"Snakehead" peghead:

This is a peghead that tapers from small to
large from the top, rather than the other way around.
Conventional wisdom is that these somehow sound better, and
prices go up accordingly. These are most commonly found on
an A4, but can exist on model numbers A1-A3 (I have never
seen an A0 or Ajr with a snakehead, but they could exist).

Longer neck clear of the body:

The standard Gibson A model has 9
frets entirely clear of the body, but some models (usually
snakeheads) have 12 frets clear of the body. A longer
neck mandolin is desireable if bass sound is favored, or if you
play often in high positions and need easy access to the high frets.

Neck Shape:

The standard Gibson A models had a "keel" shaped
neck, similar to the letter "v". The "keel" is rounded, but
the modern "U" shaped neck is considerably rounder. Anyway,
some Gibsons have rounded necks.

I have been trying to get some help on this guide for some time, with
little response from the Net community. If you could help edit this info
in any way, point out gross errors, or even write up some detail for F
model mandolins, please send me mail
here. I would also really
love to add a serial number chart to this page!